Chapter 03: Corridor
Chapter 03: Corridor is the third episode of the series. It is preceded by Chapter 02: Coins and followed by Chapter 04: Gateway. Plot A nerve-wracking trip through a dark tunnel leaves Joana haunted by a vision from her past. Ezequiel receives an unexpected visitor. Summary A series of flashbacks reveals Joana's past; she grew up as a street urchin, with no one to claim her or register her for the Process. She became a thief out of necessity. At one point, she steals a backpack full of gold and a group of street thugs corner her. The thugs work for a man named Gerson, who is relatively rich for the 97%. Joana breaks into the thug lord's house, and she finds a gun near the backpack that she reclaims. Unfortunately, a small child spooks her during the break-in, and Joana shoots and kills the child. A reward is set for her capture. She then flees to a friend, Valeria, who does fake registrations, and she registers herself for the Process in order to escape Gerson. In present time, Nair counsels Ezequiel that Aline and Councillor Matheus are after his job. Ezequiel is shown to be doing odd things, such as creating a pair of glasses and hiding his work when Aline approaches. While waiting for the next test, candidates playfully attempt to land trash in a shoot several feet away. Everyone misses, but Joana lands it in one shot, showing her dexterity. The groups that completed the who-done-it test together must complete the next test together, and so Michele, Agata, Marco, Rafael, Fernando, and Joana are called in together. The test is to pass through a tunnel that has been pumped full of hallucinogenic gas, with a strict time limit. Rafael attempts to rally the group, but they quickly fall apart into their own hallucinations. Of the candidates, Agata is affected the worst and Joana is affected the least. Aline questions the motives of the test, and Ezequiel explains that it focuses on the ability to overcome paranoia and personal insecurities. Even as Joana hallucinates and sees the child of Gerson she murdered, she drags the rest of the candidates to safety, as individuals cannot pass without the rest of their group. The group barely passes, and yet the other candidates credit their success to having Marco as a leader. They are led to a dormitory to rest and recover. However, Agata is still heavily impacted by the gas and struggles to walk out. Michele attempts to get help for Agata, but the proctor refuses to assist, stating that the gas will wear off shortly. In a brief moment, Fernando and Michele kiss passionately. Joana, though she pretends to be unaffected by the gas, continues to hallucinate lightly. Her hallucinations draw her to the bathroom, where Agata assaults her violently. Rafael separates the two, and he notices Joana's registration is fake, allowing him to start blackmailing her like she has done him. They leave the exchange prickly, but Joana later thanks Rafael for saving her from Agata. During a break between tests, Aline critiques Ezequiel's room, noting his taste in decorations and lack of pictures of his wife, Julia. Cassia attempts to joke with Ezequiel, but he is short with her, citing his stress in leading the Process. A child, Augusto, sneaks into the facility and is only noticed by Ezequiel, who quickly intercepts him and brings him to his personal living quarters, scrubbing the cameras of all evidence of the child's existence. He gifts Augusto with the glasses crafted earlier and feeds him. He also gives Augusto the cube test, seemingly coaching the boy into being able to pass the Process. Suddenly, Aline appears, forcing Augusto into hiding. She asks Ezequiel a series of seemingly harmless questions, before asking him if it's normal for people to leave during the Process, revealing that she knows about his sojourns into the Inland. She leaves on that threatening note, and Ezequiel counsels Augusto to never come back. The episode ends with the candidates realizing they are trapped inside the dormitory. Category:Episodes Category:Season One